The Only Thing We Have To Fear
by DarkPhoenixTank
Summary: The Right Hand Man of Justice served through four terms, two or three of which included extreme stress. It finally got to him on April 12th, 1945.


_Something that I randomly came up with. My school is doing Annie for the production, and I'm playing President Roosevelt, so I don't take any pleasure in what happened. We all saw what happened in DC. But what about in NYC? _

**The Only Thing We Have To Fear**

It all happened in sudden, breaking news. President Roosevelt's fourth term, unbelievable for an American President, was only about a year in. Roosevelt was in poor health. Warbucks knew that. The people needed a hero to lead them. Roosevelt was that hero.

But a hero's journey has to end.

They announced it earlier. The struggle of life that Roosevelt was locked in had ended. He had lost. But in his wake, he left Germany a crumbling wreck, America a new powerhouse, Europe liberated, and a withering Japan. He had done well.

He also helped him with his beautiful daughter, Annie.

"Hey, Daddy?" he heard Annie call to him. She was 21 now, an adult, but she was still his little girl. She still lived with him. The outside world was still uncertain. And damn it, if he had a say in it, he would stay by her side to the end. With her, and Grace, and Drake, and his servants, they would face it together.

"..Yes, Annie? I'm in the parlor." He called back, still adjusting the radio, see if there was some mistake. Any mistake! He checked the date. It wasn't the first of April. It was real. He wasn't dreaming.

"D-Daddy? I..Is something wrong?" Annie said, apparently having been there for a while. Warbucks turned away. He didn't want to be seen so weak.

"Annie. I-I have to tell you something. It's very, very hard to say." Warbucks stumbled over the words. Roosevelt had been like a brother to him, and a new father to Annie. The three, with proper security, would be at Camp David whenever Roosevelt could. Annie kept the tomorrow that Roosevelt dreamed for the world strong. A tomorrow without Facism, a tomorrow without persecution based on religion. A tomorrow without the Nazis, or the Imperial Japanese. Or starving Americans, either.

"What is it?" Annie had said. This was hard for Warbucks. He couldn't bring himself to form the sentence in his mind.

'_Annie, President Roosevelt has passed away. I'm sorry. He's..he's gone.'_

It shouldn't be that hard, so why can't he summon the words?

"A..Annie. It's about the President." He carefully formed his sentence to not name names. He could do this, he had to be a man. He was Oliver Warbucks! A Billionare!

"Mr. Roosevelt? What's wrong? Has something happened?" Annie said back, those curious eyes looking down at him in his chair. Even at 21 years old, she reminded him so much of those string of events that led them together as a happy family. Times like this would and had happened, he knew, but this one? How would America with World War 2? Would Germany make a comeback? What about Japan? How would Johnson solve these questions?

"Yes, Annie. Something has happened.." Warbucks collected his thoughts, steeled himself, and bit his lip. "I'm afraid President Roosevelt has lost a battle. He's died."

The room went silent, except for their heartbeats and the grandfather clock.

"O-Oh. He has, has he?" Annie said, a small hint of disbelief. In the corner of her eyes, he could see the 11 year old orphan, who learned her parents had been dead all along, and there was no hope of her parents coming back. But instead, it wasn't her actual guardian now. That was him! ..It was a father figure. President Roosevelt.

"Annie, Mr. Roosevelt served four straight terms. He was suffering from poliomyelitis. He was also under enormous stress, and getting old. No man can hold up for as long as he could." A solemn and distant look shot over Warbucks. Was he comforting Annie, or himself? It was this question burning in his mind. "E-Excuse me for a minute, Annie. I need to make plans."

He retreated into his study, and grabbed his phone. He dialed in the number for Lyndon B. Johnson. He had to make some reservation.

"_Hello, this is the White House! If you'd like to leave a message, Press-"_

"It's Oliver. Please patch me through to Lyndon. I need to talk to him."

A sudden click occurred in the phone. Oliver waited for a minute, and heard a voice, obviously stressed, and grieving, on the other end.

"_Oliver? This is Lyndon. What do you need?"_

The poor man was trying so hard to keep the nation together, himself together, and to win the bloodiest war in recent human history.

"Yes, Lyndon. When do you believe the Funeral concession will occur for..Roosevelt?"

"_The 13__th__ and 14__th__, but..Oliver, this isn't the best time. I'm sorry…"_

"No..I feel the need to have to be there. Thank you. Stay strong, you've still got a war left to fight."

"_Thanks..Oliver."_

He hung up, and took a deep breath, and swallowed. He had to take his jet to D.C. with Annie by tomorrow. He would be busy.

When he returned to the parlor, he heard a familiar song being sung. Except, it was more of a mantra, and he had never heard anything like it before.

_The sun will come out, tomorrow_

_Bet your bottom dollar, that tomorrow_

_There'll be sun._

_Just thinking about tomorrow, clears away the cobwebs and the sorrow_

_Till there's none._

"Annie?" Warbucks walked in. Annie was sitting down, listening to the radio.

"Yes, Dad?" Annie reverted to Dad. She usually called him Daddy, except for certain times.

"We're flying out to D.C., if you don't mind. We've got to be there for the funeral."

Annie grabbed his hand, turned to him, and smiled.

"Yes, Daddy."

_Welp, sorry I had to torture you through that. When I was watching his funeral precession, I remembered. How would Oliver and Warbucks feel about this? I just felt like, after Annie, the three of them would be close, so when Roosevelt dies. It'd hit Annie, who would be 21 at this point, really, really, hard._

_Well, Read, Rate, and Review!_


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